Chapter 14 Yin-Yang Stream (Part Two) Stripping this scourge of its clothes...

The carriage had been bumping along the road for two days and one night. Gu Lianzhou, who had been full of energy when he arrived, now looked like a frost-covered eggplant, hunching his neck and looking back.

In winter, darkness falls quickly. As dusk settled and the surroundings remained barren with no sign of human habitation, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. "Senior brother, it's getting dark. Shall we find a place to rest?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from afar, and the carriage was opened from the inside.

Song San poked his head out, his gaze sweeping over Gu Lianzhou's nearly chapped lips, and looked into the distance. "There's a water source ahead. Let's set up camp and rest there."

Gu Lianzhou responded as if he had heard heavenly music, and immediately agreed, straightening his drooping neck once more.

Looking at the back of his head, Song San sighed softly.

Thanks to this young master Gu, the carriage, which was originally driven by one person, is now driven by two people taking turns, which saves a lot of effort. However, the space inside the carriage is cramped, and Gu Lianzhou is tall, so it is not convenient to squeeze in with him at night.

Fortunately, the winter night was cold, and the two were wrapped up tightly, so although they couldn't avoid physical contact, no one could tell that anything was amiss.

And these past few days of getting along with her have made her realize that... Gu Lianzhou seems to be a very honest and straightforward person.

As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly heard the sound of flowing water. Song San craned his neck and looked up, and sure enough, he saw a glimmer of light on the side of the road, deep in the snow.

"Senior brother is truly a prophet."

Upon seeing the flowing water, Gu Lianzhou's fatigue vanished instantly, and he picked up the reins and sped up to catch up.

Where there is water, there are bound to be creatures. Gu Lianzhou jumped off the carriage and headed straight for the riverbank, rolling up his sleeves as if he were about to unleash his martial arts skills.

After Song San tied the reins, he saw Young Master Gu pick up some stones to build a makeshift fire, then take out a carving knife and start carving a wooden stick. Once he had carved a sharp point on one end of the stick, he headed towards the river.

It seems he's suffered enough these past two days following me, and is now preparing to catch his own fish for a treat.

The sun had already completely set, making it difficult to see anything, let alone catch fish, which was a task that required a lot of eyesight and energy. Meanwhile, Gu Lianzhou was jumping around as if he had inexhaustible energy.

Seeing this, Song San silently took out a cornbread from his package, broke off a piece, put it in his mouth, and slowly chewed it.

A thin layer of ice had formed on the river. A few stones were thrown in, and the ice broke, revealing the dark water beneath. Gu Lianzhou, stepping on the snow, half-squatted down, threw some crumbs of bread into the water, then raised a sharp wooden stick and waited quietly.

Perhaps due to a lack of experience, after about fifteen minutes, the water surface remained still, with only a few scattered water plants swaying with the waves.

"Are you trying to stare the fish and shrimp to death by staring at the lake like that?"

The soft footsteps drew closer, and Gu Lianzhou turned his head to see Senior Brother Song walking towards him with a steaming hot pancake in his hand.

Song San said, "It would be better to dig a nest and set a trap than to wait for a rabbit to run into a tree stump."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou awkwardly withdrew his stick, only to realize belatedly that the cold wind was biting and his right hand felt as cold as if it didn't belong to him.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, senior brother." He stood up, propped himself up on his knees, took the baked flatbread that Song San handed him, and took a bite.

The warm pancake tasted even sweeter than usual. Gu Lianzhou laughed and said, "I'm used to a life where everything is done for me. Now I can't even catch a fish. I'm really lazy and don't know anything about farming."

“Young Master Gu, there’s no need to be so self-deprecating.” Song San glanced at him and said calmly, “No ordinary person could catch fish with their bare hands at night.”

Anyone who does this must be extremely greedy.

If one were unaware of the situation, they probably wouldn't believe that the eldest son of the Gu family suffered a great injustice at her hands.

"Let's have some flatbread for now. We can catch fish when it's light." Song San rubbed his sore neck and looked at the lake. "There are many spirits and monsters around at night. You need to be careful and not let evil spirits take advantage of you, or you'll lose more than you gain."

"Yes." Gu Lianzhou was somewhat flattered by such concern for the first time. "Senior brother, you must be tired from your journey. Go back to the carriage and rest. If there is anything you need, leave it to me."

Song San waved his hand and said, "I've been riding in carriages for several days and I'm already tired of it. Now I get annoyed just seeing a carriage."

Gu Lianzhou chuckled: "That makes sense."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song San swung his arms and twisted his neck as he walked away into the distance. He hurriedly called out, "Where are you going, Senior Brother? Are you coming back for dinner tonight?"

Song San, who was walking with his back to him, raised his arm and waved, "I have indigestion, let's go for a walk."

-

It seems particularly cold tonight.

Song San shrank back for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes.

It was eerily quiet all around. Inside the dark carriage, apart from the quilt for warmth, she was all alone.

Staring blankly into the darkness for a long time, she finally realized, where was Gu Lianzhou?

I reached out to test the warmth of the blanket, but it felt cold to the touch. The person had clearly been gone for a long time.

Song San propped himself up and, still half-asleep, clicked his tongue in annoyance.

This young master Gu really doesn't give her any peace of mind.

Then he thought that the person might have gotten up in the middle of the night, which had delayed him a bit, and his heart, which had been set out to search for the person, suddenly calmed down.

If he were to engage in the cycle of the five grains, what would she do?

You can't exactly say sternly, "The wilderness is dangerous, come back with me immediately."

What kind of behavior is this?

Lost in thought, I somehow managed to convince myself.

Song San sighed softly and lay back down.

With something on his mind, he couldn't sleep soundly. He tossed and turned for about half an hour, and the feeling of unease grew stronger and stronger, turning into a ball of fire that made Song San open his eyes wide with a "whoosh".

Suddenly, a faint sound of flowing water came from outside, reaching my ears through the heavy door.

This time there was no room for hesitation. Song San grabbed the coat next to him, put it on, got up, opened the car door, and jumped out.

The inside and outside of the car are like two different worlds.

The night wind was bleak, carrying gusts of moisture from all directions.

Song San hunched his neck and squinted, quickly walking toward the source of the sound.

As they approached, by the light of the moon, they could barely make out what lay before them—a plump grass carp lay quietly on the melted snow, surrounded by a few scattered water plants.

What stands out is a straight drag mark leading to the river.

Gu Lianzhou, however, was nowhere to be found.

Song San's brow twitched violently.

Could this unlucky constitution be due to being tempted by evil spirits and doing something foolish?

Thinking of this, she lowered her voice and called out in a restrained tone, "Gu Lianzhou?"

Her response was the howling wind and the gurgling sound of flowing water.

By this point, Song Sanxin was already half-defeated, so she decided to give up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Gu Lianzhou! Junior Brother—"

Suddenly, a wave surged across the lake, and in the center of the lake, splashes of water rose.

"Gu Lianzhou?" Song San's eyes lit up. He took a few steps forward and saw that the water was splashing wildly and disorderly, as if someone was rolling and playing in it. Upon closer inspection, he saw a silver mirror-like object swaying from side to side, reflecting a shimmering light towards the shore.

A demon that lives in the water.

With a sudden thought, Song San untied the treasure pouch from his waist, took out a talisman, rolled it into a tube, and held it in front of his eyes, aiming it at the "mirror".

Through the "Demon-Seeing Talisman," the black river surface instantly changed from its previous calm. Purple demonic patterns suddenly appeared, swirling rapidly on the river surface with the mirror as the center, carrying a human figure that was baring its fangs and claws and floating up and down.

This person must be Gu Lianzhou, that unlucky fellow.

Then look at the demonic markings, which transformed into shimmering tentacles that spread and bound the person's limbs, and then deliberately reached into their clothes and cuffs.

It looked like they were looting something.

Song San's eyes twitched. He put away the talisman and gritted his teeth, saying, "You, Gu Lianzhou, of all people to provoke, you had to pick on someone who loves money."

The creature in the middle of the water is none other than a greedy octopus that devours gold and silver!

Thanks to this octopus, Gu Lianzhou was extremely lucky not to be strangled and dragged into the water. As for how to save him...

Reaching out and clutching the brocade pouch at his waist, Song San, with a ferocious expression, pulled out a single gold bean. After hesitating for a moment, he simply poured all the gold beans into his hand, then raised his hand high and, like throwing a pebble, hurled it fiercely at the octopus.

The river water was fishy and salty, and icy cold to the bone.

Gu Lianzhou gulped down several mouthfuls of water, struggling in vain, but the tentacles binding him tightly left him no room to resist.

Half an hour ago.

Taking advantage of getting up in the middle of the night, he went to check on the catch in the traps he had set beforehand by the river. Just as he was overjoyed by the plump grass carp, the sound of a woman crying suddenly rang out from the middle of the river.

That kind of crying can't be produced without pinching your throat.

He hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps forward and whispered, "Don't cry, young lady. There are people resting here."

The crying stopped for a moment.

Then it became even more intense.

He quickly raised a finger to his lips to shush, turned his head to look at the carriage not far away, and then turned back, quite annoyed, and said: "You ungrateful devil, if you disturb your senior brother's peaceful sleep, I will definitely not forgive you."

Gu Lianzhou couldn't remember what happened next. He vaguely recalled that the lake surface suddenly rippled, and two rope-like objects emanating demonic energy rushed towards him, wrapped around him, tied a knot, and dragged him into the water.

After a series of ups and downs, his stomach was filled with lake water, and he was no longer able to reprimand the monster.

Once the octopus monster had regained its footing, he surfaced and was able to see Senior Brother Song on the shore, as well as the several golden beams shooting out from his hands.

Golden light?

In his hazy state, Gu Lianzhou suddenly felt a gust of wind rush towards his forehead, and a hard pebble hit him squarely between the eyebrows. Then everything went black, and he could see nothing at all.

-

A roaring fire blazed on the snowy riverbank, with a bowl of bubbling fish soup hanging above the waist-high bonfire.

Song San's face was gloomy. He held a spoon and ladled soup into the bowl. After filling half the bowl, he looked up at the carriage next to the fire.

Having obtained the gold nugget, the octopus finally loosened its tentacles, allowing her to rescue Gu Lianzhou during the brief respite. Then, like dragging a dead pig, she laboriously carried him to the shore.

In this kind of weather, thick clothes become soaked with water, and the cold wind makes one feel like they're neither alive nor dead.

Song San was so cold that his teeth were chattering. He closed his eyes and stripped off the clothes of this scourge. Still finding it in the way, he simply covered the quilt with the quilt and wrapped it around the scourge before taking care of himself.

Gu Lianzhou's words were true; none of those who came close to him had a good ending.

Now that the restrictions his martial uncle had placed on him have loosened, they have indeed shown their divine power.

She had to bear all the suffering alone.

After finally changing into dry clothes, Song San picked up the damp strips of cloth and clothes, jumped off the carriage, and gathered firewood to start a fire.

After a while, I felt my hands and feet gradually warm up, as if I had returned to the human world from a bitter, cold hell.